Nan Desu Kan

67 days to go! Panel deadline reminder

Submitted by Jinnie on July 9, 2012 at 1:53 AM

This is the last week to submit your panels! The deadline is next Sunday, July 15. Don't delay, get those panels in! Also, keep in mind, the deadlines for both AMVs and Press Registration are less than a month away.

For those of you wondering about our current numbers due to our attendance cap, we're sold over half of our available pre-registrations. Expect that to pick up soon, we still have 2 rounds of guests to announce very soon, plus other surprises. If you haven't registered yet, what are you waiting for? Do it now and save $10 off the at-the-door price.

NDK has been on the road lately! Check out our pictures from our dear friend Starfest, plus Denver Comic Con and Anime Expo (LA, CA) on our regularly-updated Tumblr.

Up next: we'll visit Otakon (Baltimore, MD) and San Japan (San Antonio, TX)!

There's a lot more news and surprises to come, very soon. Stay tuned.

World Cosplay Summit @ NDK!

Submitted by Jinnie on June 19, 2012 at 8:50 PM

We're very excited to announce we will serve as the Mountain Region Qualifier for the World Cosplay Summit United States Preliminary Circuit! Rules and other info are now available. Don't delay! Signups for WCS will be opened from 6-21-12 to 8-8-12 or until all event spots are full, ending at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time.

What is the World Cosplay Summit, you might be wondering? It's an international pairs costume competition with qualifiers in multiple regions of the US. The winning team will get a trip to Maryland (Katsucon) to compete at Nationals, February 2013. The National winners will compete against other finalists from around the world in Japan next year!

The World Cosplay Summit is separate from our standing-room-only Cosplay Contest, and there are different rules and qualifications for each. (For example, participants can't use the same costumes or or performance.) Please read carefully if you plan to participate in both. You can also email here if you have questions: wcsprelimsusmountain@gmail.com.

There are many more announcements to come, including lots more guests, our musical act and more. Stay tuned!

Submit your AMVs now!

Submitted by Jinnie on May 24, 2012 at 9:52 PM

Calling AMV editors! We're now accepting submissions for our international AMV competition through August 5!

You could win your very own coveted Asuka award, and your AMV could be shown in our packed-to-capacity Main Events. Make sure you read the rules, then upload your video here. Though attendance is strongly encouraged for AMV editors, it is not required.

Also, panel registration is also still open. Just like last year, it's a two-step process. We started submissions a little earlier this year because panelists told us they preferred more time. But make sure you get all submissions in by July 15!

And speaking of animation and panels, our friends at the Denver Film Society asked us to pass on word of an exciting opportunity for students: learn the basics of animation from a pro animator.

The YFW Animation Workshop will give students (13-19 years old) the opportunity to create their own characters under the instruction of a professional animator. The hands-on course, which runs July 9th-20th at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, will focus on fundamentals such as character design and development as well as narrative story-telling techniques including writing for animation and storyboarding.

Suitable for beginners as well as students with prior animation experience. Partial scholarships and payment plan options available upon request. Questions? Email the DFS.

Have fun at Starfest!

Submitted by Jinnie on April 19, 2012 at 9:21 PM

It's time for Denver's biggest science fiction convention! Starfest 2012 is this weekend at the DTC Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt.

Guests include Jonathan Frakes, J. G. Hertzler, John Noble, Robert O’Reilly, David Prowse, Jed Rowen, Jewel Staite, Guy Vardaman and Dee Wallace, as well as numerous other VIPs. See their website for the complete list.

Join us in supporting our friends at Starland and their multi-venue Starfest, ComicFest, DigiFest, GameFest, HorrorFest and RoboFest.

Have fun!

(RMAA/NDK and Starland/Starfest are separate organizations, this is a courtesy post to support a friend.)

Watch Redline with NDK at the Denver Film Center!

Submitted by Jinnie on March 20, 2012 at 6:58 PM

The Denver Film Society is showing the anime film Redline at the Denver Film Center (just off Colfax, downtown Denver) on March 31 at 10pm.

Join NDK's Jeremy at the Saturday showing at 9pm and find our table for a free gift. Cosplaying? You'll also get an additional bonus NDK keychain!

Redline is the directorial debut of Takeshi Koike (key animator: Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Trigun: Badlands Rumble, Iron Man). The 2009 science fiction auto racing anime film was produced by groundbreaking Japanese studio Madhouse.

Buy your tickets ($7) in advance at the Denver Film Society's website.

Redline is also being shown March 30 (Friday) at 10pm. We'll be at the Saturday showing only. The film is in Japanese, with English subtitles.

Hope to see you there! You can also invite your friends to our official Facebook Event.

Signups now available; farewell to Greg

Submitted by Jinnie on March 4, 2012 at 8:56 PM

Panels, Artists Alley and Press Signup Info

It's time to sign up! Read below to learn how to sign up for press, panels and Artists Alley.

Panel signups will go through 10 p.m. on July 15, 2012. Just like last year, it's a two-step process. We heard last year that panelists wanted more time to submit their ideas, so this gives everyone more than four months to get your panels in. We will not accept any submissions after July 15.

Submit your panel here. Have questions? Post on the forums before submitting your ideas.

Artists Alley submissions end at 6 p.m. on March 18, 2012. If you can't get everything together right away, don't worry. You have 2 weeks! Artist Alley submissions are not first-come first-served.

Submit your application here. You can also see the rules and FAQ for further information. Post any questions there as well.

Are you a member of the media? Press registration is now available, through August 1. See the Press Policy for more information and a link to Press registration.

And finally, we also have updated rules for both the Cosplay Costume Contest and the Atrium Balcony Decorating Contest.

Looking for Cosplay or AMV signups? Cosplay applications will begin August 18. AMV signups begin later this Spring.

Goodbye, Greg Hines

With regret, we announce the departure of Greg Hines from the Board of Directors. Greg’s invaluable contributions to NDK began almost a decade ago. In his 8-year staff tenure, Greg rose rapidly up the ranks from a volunteer to President of the Board of Directors. He leaves with a legacy of tremendous accomplishments with the website and a variety of special projects.

We will miss him dearly and wish him the very best in his future.

The Marriott has sold out, here's our official overflow hotel

Submitted by Jinnie on January 30, 2012 at 1:04 AM

The Marriott has been completely booked in just three days, our fastest record ever! It truly makes our day to see everyone's excitement.

We've partnered with the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center as our official overflow hotel for NDK's Sweet 16 (Sept. 14-16, 2012). In addition to offering NDK attendees exclusive discounts on room rates (some rooms even include breakfast and Internet!), they will also be donating a portion of their proceeds to our charity of choice for the year.

Reserve your room using their PassKey link. Do not call the Hyatt directly. If you do, you won't be guaranteed our discounted rates.

The Hyatt is the area's only AAA Four Diamond awardee. Hotel guests also have access to free parking (Marriott guests will pay a discounted rate of $5 per day), a free shuttle within a 5 mile radius, refrigerators in every room, multiple restaurants and pools and more. According to Google, the Hyatt is a 12-minute walk from the Marriott (.7 miles).

There are other hotels in the area, but the Hyatt is the only official overflow for NDK 2012. Of course, the convention is still 8 months away, and we may still make other arrangements. We'll let you know if we do.

Atrium and standard rooms sold out, outer balcony still available

Submitted by Jinnie on January 26, 2012 at 2:01 PM

And we have a new record! You can still book the rest of the hotel for the nights of the con, but inner atrium rooms and standard rooms are gone. Outer balcony rooms are still available.

Because the convention is so far away, cancellations are still possible. If so, PassKey will open options back up. Check back with it every now and then. (We will, too.) We'll also post information about our official overflow hotels soon.

We're hearing feedback from a lot of you on our technical difficulties today, and we're really sorry. This is the first year we've announced a time in advance (by request) and we'll definitely look into ways of improving the process for next year. As of now, atrium is sold out but the rest of the hotel is still available for the dates of the con.

As an apology, we will be entering every non-atrium room into a drawing. The winning room will be free for the nights of the con. We'll have more details closer to the convention.

It's time to book your room!

Submitted by Jinnie on January 26, 2012 at 1:08 PM

Here's the link to reserve a room at our home hotel, the Marriott DTC, for NDK's Sweet 16: Sept. 14-16, 2012.

Do not call the Marriott to reserve a hotel room. If you do, your room reservation may not be guaranteed. Room reservations are handled through a third-party booking service (PassKey), so you should only use the link provided above for reserving your room.

We highly recommend you reserve a room as soon as possible. It's free of charge to do so, and you can cancel it at anytime if need be. You will need to enter credit card info to secure the reservation, but your card won't be charged. (You'll be asked to show that card at the hotel to verify your reservation.)

Have questions about booking and need a fast answer? Try the Hotel FAQ first.

Good luck!

Stay tuned! Hotel link imminent

Submitted by Jinnie on January 23, 2012 at 2:08 PM

As requested last year, here's your advance notice/warning: we will release the link to book hotel rooms at the Marriott DTC this Thursday, Jan. 26, at 12pm sharp (MT).

The link will be posted here on our front page and under Location, on the forums, our Facebook Page and Twitter channel.

Last year, Atrium rooms sold out in 36 minutes and the entire hotel was booked in a matter of weeks, months before con. Be ready!

And if this is still a little early for you, there will still be options later on in the year. After the Marriott sells out, we'll release info for our official overflow hotels.